Salt Lake City homeless women's urban garden thrives

Updated 2:42 pm, Saturday, August 12, 2017

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An urban garden just two blocks away from Salt Lake City's often violent and trash-filled homeless shelter has been thriving on a formerly blighted parcel of land thanks to homeless and formerly homeless women who are paid $9 an hour to work on it.

The Wasatch Community Gardens' Green Team is flourishing with people who hadn't worked in a decade, The Salt Lake Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/2wqnwLY ).

Camille Winnie, director of community services for The Downtown Alliance, came up with the garden idea after launching a cleaning program at The Road Home, the nearby shelter.

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It's "a safe, beautiful place" for people "to come get their mojo back," said James Loomis, the farm manager.

Team members work a minimum of 20 hours per week and attend Friday classes on job skills. Each woman gets a 6-foot (1.8-meter) stretch to plant whatever she wants.

The Road Home makes an exception to its 30-day turnout policy and allows people working at the garden to stay for the full season.

The land is leased by Salt Lake City's Redevelopment Agency at a cost of $1 per year. The produce is sold at a cut rate to the Head Start program for disadvantaged children.

Loomis is currently installing a greenhouse at the north end of the property, where the women will be able to learn hydroponics. He wants to add beehives next year and is hoping to get on-site housing for some workers.